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The Jews of Switzerland by Serita Deborah Stevens JTA Rises and dips of the gentle chartreuse hills, the checkerboard layout of wheat and barley, alfalfa and corn, open spaces and farm houses give the overall sense of tranquility and peace to those Jews now living in the two small towns of Endingen and Lengnau. But peace and tranquility wasn’t always the fate of those Jews who escaped to Switzerland from countries of persecution. In 1213, nearly 80 years before the Swiss Federation was formed, Jews began to cross the Rhine to trade in Basel. Some of the Jews were those escaping the persecu tions of France, others would short ly come from England, Austria and Italy. By 1300, Jewish com munities had developed in St. Gallen, Zurich and Lucerne. All the Swiss cities were under the pro tection of the Holy Roman Empire and so long as the Jews gave nomi nal allegiance to the rulers, they were under imperial protection. However, they had been under royal protection before and it hadn’t helped them. Warily, they banded together and paid the stiff head and body taxes required. From all appearances, this coun try wasn’t much different than the others the Jews had briefly passed through. When the Swiss threw off Haps- burg rule, the cities and cantons continued their heavy levies while excluding Jews from commerce and handicrafts. Residential rights of the Jews were limited and as in other countries, they were forced to wear the Jew’s hat. Being excluded from the com munity at large wasn’t unusual for the Jews of that time, nor was the “blood libel” accusation of ritual murder and well poisoning. But it wasn’t until the Black Death peri od— 1348-49—that the persecution of the Jews grew violent. Burned at the stake and accused of ritual murder, many Jews left Switzer land. They were no longer needed as money lenders since the Chris tians had now begun to displace them in their profession. Between 1427 and 1543, the Jews once more found themselves ex pelled. This time it was only from the cantons of Bern, Zurich, Fri- borg, Schaffhausen, Thurgau and Basel. But in 1622, the rest of the country executed the banishment order. Only the Jewish physicians were allowed to remain. Some returned to Germany, and others to France. Twenty-five years later, however, the canton of Aar- gau, which did not become a mem ber of the Swiss community until 1803, recognized the value of the Jewish residents and actively invited them back. Unbound by Swiss res trictions, Aargau encouraged its Jews to farm the land, and join the community. As a result the two vil lages of Endingen and Lengnau became major Jewish centers. Here the people had freedom to wor ship, and work almost as they wished. Artisans and owning land were the only prohibitions. As a result, many of the Jews here turned With all good wishes for a year of peace for all people Jack T Vaughn Executive Director NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF CHRISTIANS AND JEWS Synagogue of St to trading, buying and selling at fairs and cattle dealing. Lengnau was the birthplace of Meyer Guggenheim, founder of the celebrated family of industrial ists, mining tycoons, and philan thropists. In 1798, Napoleon’s Helvetic Re public repealed the laws against the Jews but this was short lived. It was Geneva which, in 1843, became the First canton to natural ize a number of Jews, but most of the cantons maintained their pol icy of exclusion for another quar ter of a century, even against Jews who were citizens of other countries. England, France and the United States soon put a stop to this. They refused to renew their commercial contracts with the Swiss until the rights of the Jewish citizens, both those who lived there and those who did business there, were rec ognized. Ultimately, this led to the emancipation of all the Swiss Jews. The 1866 amendment of the Swiss Federation gave all Jews full resi dential and commercial rights. It took another eight years (until 1874), however, before complete religious freedom was achieved. There were 5,000 Jews living in the country then. The number soon swelled when 23 years later (1897), Basel became the first home of the World Zionist Congress. Nine of the 21 Congresses that followed were held here and four more in other Swiss cities. Many of the Congress delegates returned to Switzerland as permanent residents between 1900 and 1920, when im migration from Eastern Europe doubled the Jewish population. From a country which had ex pelled the Jews, Switzerland now became a country to protect them. In the 1930s as the Nazis gained power, the Swiss ignored Hitler’s threats, giving shelter to tens of thousands of refugees from Ger many, Austria and Czechoslovakia. Despite the sensitive position in the heart of the Nazi terror, the Swiss managed to shelter over 40,000 Jews. In 1859, Endingen had 5,000 Jews. Today, Switzerland as a whole has 20,000 Jews, but only a few live in the rural Endingen. The 1987 Officers Of The Jewish National Fund wish the entire community a year of peace, health and happiness. REGION The two towns of Endingen and Lengnau are still considered viable Jewish communities with historic sights. Both contain old synagogues dating back to the early 1700s; both buildings have been recently refurbished. Between the two towns is the oldest Jewish cemetery in Switzerland. The area is a fairy tale land with ogres removed, incredibly lovely countryside, with a beautiful large shul and no threats of war. But only a handful of Jews remain working the land here. PAGE 9RH THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE October 3, 1986